Finback whales in the fog

Well we decided to take a chance and face the fog today. We could not visit Petit Manan to see the puffins because of the visibility, so we went right out to the Ball Park in search of whales. As we approached our destination Captain Larry started seeing tons of bait fish on the fish finder. He slowed the boat down and as we drifted through the Ball Park we kept our ears open hoping to hear the blow of a whale.

The foggy weather also gave fellow naturalist and UMaine graduate student, Kaitlyn Allen, the chance to test out her hydrophones. This piece of equipment is used to record whale sounds in the water. Kaitlyn is recording whale sounds and comparing them to the whales' activity seen at the surface. Different whale species make specific sounds and so we can identify them without even seeing them! Some whales, like the finback, can be heard from up to 1,000 miles away! Sound travels much farther distances in water than it does in air. We think the sounds they produce help them in finding food and are used for communication with other whales, especially when looking for potencial mates during the breeding season.

Many pelagic birds such as Northern Fulmars, Greater Shearwaters, and Wilson Storm petrels were seen throughout our search. Bird researcher, Laura Kennedy, was aboard collecting data for her graduate studies. Many grey and harbor seals popped up near the boat as well with one large grey seal coming up along the side of the boat!

Suddenly as more seals and birds began to appear....."whoosh" the breath of whale off in the distance. We heard the blow a few more times and as the boat slowly approached two large finbacks appeared at the surface! We got good looks, but soon lost them in the thick fog. But we considered ourselves lucky to have found anything!

Unfortunately, we were not so lucky on our second trip. We heard a few blows, but could not locate the whale(s). Oh well. But still tons of seals, birds, and bait! If the fog would have lifted there would have been a good chance of finding a whale. But Kaitlin informed us that she may have picked up something interesting on her hydrophones! Maybe one of the whales we saw on the morning trip still hanging around?

So, despite the fog, a great deal of important and fascinating research was conducted on the whale watch today. Hopefully this foggy weather will soon disappear and we can enjoy looking at whales along with listening for them above and below the surface.

The Fog Will Not Hold Us Back!

It has nearly been a week since we have been on the water due to the rain, fog, and rough sea conditions offshore. Last week, we had great weather and whales, but mother nature has not been cooperating lately. Today, despite the patchy fog in Bar Harbor, conditions seemed promising offshore so we decided to take the chance and venture out into the Gulf of Maine!

While venturing through the "Ball Park", an area where whales are typically found due to large concentrations of food, the fog crept back in, making it slightly more challenging to find the whales. When searching in fog we use our ears and listen closely for the audible blow or exhalation of a whale. During the whale search we did see many seals at the surface as well as numerous pelagic seabirds such as, Wilson Storm Petrels and Greater Shearwaters. Captain Jerry noticed a great deal of bait on the fish finder. So there seems to be a lot of activity going on in the Ball Park, but the whales were elsewhere.

Heading southwest, Captain Jerry stopped at Mount Desert Rock, a small remote island 25 nautical miles from Bar Harbor. This island is home to the Edward McC. Blair Marine Research Station, where Allied Whale conducts marine mammal and seabird studies during the summer months. This island is home to approximately 800-900 harbor and grey seals. A working historic lighthouse, built in 1847, is also on the island.

The search continued as the boat headed home, but no whales were spotted. We usually have a high sightings rate, but with the fog and whale distributions being a little wide spread at this time of year, we sometimes have difficulty finding them. But this is mother nature we are working with and summer has just arrived! Hopefully the weather will improve and we will be back out on the water again tomorrow!

Some close up looks at a finback whale

Here are some great photos from our research intern, Laura, of a finback whale seen on the whale watch on Monday, June 15th. When photographing finback whales, Allied Whale researchers take a series of photos along both sides of this massive mammal capturing the natural features we use to identify them. The swirly, grayish-brown pattern along the side of the whale is called the chevron. Like a fingerprint, each one is unique to each individual whale. The dorsal fin, located two-thirds down the whale's back, is also photographed. Like the chevron, the dorsal is different. Some have nicks and other distinctive markings.

Finback Whales GALORE!

Despite the rainy weather we had a wonderful day on the water. As we headed offshore we soon spotted a blow in the distance. As we approached we discovered that not only was there one whale, but two! It was a mother and calf pair of finback whales-the first pair of the season! We were fortunate to get wonderful looks as both mother and calf surfaced together, close to the boat, making everyone gasp in amazement!

After numerous close looks we decided to move on to the south, curious to see if we could find more whales. And we DID! A couple of blows turned into three, then four, five, and finally six! No doubt our new Allied Whale research intern, Lauren, was busy collecting data! There were six finback whales feeding in this one specific area! The boat's fish finder indicated a great deal of bait fish, most likely herring, a couple of hundred feet down. These finback whales most likely focusing on feeding. It is amazing to think that these whales can consume between 4,000-6,000 pounds of fish a day! I guess they must considering they weigh 60 to 70 tons!

Along with the 10-12 whales we saw today we also had great pelagic seabirds including: North Atlantic puffins, Greater shearwaters, Northern gannets, and Wilson storm petrels. Lots of harbor and grey seals out there too! So all in all another great day off shore in the Gulf of Maine!